Store-service apparatus



(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1. T. WILSON, Jr.

STORE SERVICE APPARATUS. No. 413,991'.

Patented Oct. 29. 1889.

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(No Model.) 2 sheets-sheet 2. T. WILSON, Jr.

STORE SERVICE APPARATUS.

No. 413,991. Patented Oct. 29, 1889.

W r A m. E L. w M A.;

UNITED STATES PATENT OEEICE.

THOMAS VILSON, JR., OF VATERVLIET, NEW YORK.

STORE-SERVICE APPARATUS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 413,991, dated October29, 1889.

Application filed May 1'7I 1889. Serial No. 311,202. (No model.)

To @ZZ whom t mayconccrn.:

Be it known that I, THOMAS WILSON, J r., of Menands, town ofW'atervliet, county of Albany, and State of New York,` have invented anew and useful Improvement in Store-Serv ice Apparatus, of which thefollowing is a specification. t

My invention relates to a store-service apparatus in which a car orcarrier is mounted on a single wire constituting a track therefor, saidwire being secured at its ends to vertically movable supports, by meansof which the wire track can be inclined in either direction, the carrierbeing moved by gravity when the wire track is so inclined.

My invention lies in the improvements hereinafter described; and itconsists of the combination of devices hereinafter specied, andespecially pointed out in the claims.

Accompanying this specication and forming a part of it is one plate ofdrawings, containing five (5) figures, illustrating myinvention, in allof which similar letters refer to corresponding parts.

Figure l is aview in elevation showing my improved apparatus arrangedfor operation, the respective inclinations of the wire track being shownin differently-arranged dotted lines. Fig. 2 shows the device at one endof my apparatus enlarged, with part of the tubular support thereforbroken away to show details of construction, the carrier being engagedwith the catch. The tube is also broken at about its middle transverselyto allow for indefinite length. The arrows indicate the direction ofmotion of the operating parts. Fig. 3 is a horizontal section taken onthe line l l of Fig. 2. Fig. 4 shows a portion of the tube, looking fromthe direction of the wire. Fig. 5 shows the metallic strip or shoe atthe bottom of the tube.

Fig. 1 illustrates a complete apparatus; but for the purpose ofelucidation a description of the construction ofthe devices at one endof the apparatus with its component parts will suffice, as the two endsare similarly constructed.

A is a tube dependent from and fastened to the ceiling X. The wire trackR, on which moves the carrier B, having the receptacle C, terminates inthe spring K, which spring is attached at its other end to the pin P,which in turn is fastened to the yoke Y. The ends of this yoke expandinto the arms Y Y2, the wheels W 72 being adjusted between the same andpivoted thereto, said wheels being grooved to fit the curve of Avertically. (See Figs. 2 and 3.) The bow of the yoke is provided withthe lug y, to which is fastened the line E. This line, moving in thedirection of arrow 1, passes up and over the wheel W, which is pivotedin the tube A at its top, and is carried down through the curved tubularguide M, which is joined to the tube A by the arm m, and serves to holdthe line free of the yoke and the wheels lV VZ.

At the bottom of the tube A is the shoe D, fastened to the cap A',covering the free end ot the tube by the screw N. The shoeis composed,preferably, of a single strip of dat steel formed with the claw d2 atone end, and

having the other end bent upward and forward and then turned sharplyback on itself to form the catch d. The tube A is slotted vertically andoppositely at T T, as well as above where the wheel W is accommodated,and is provided with the spring S,which rests upon the inner face of thecap A', and eX- tends up and a little above the lower end of the slots TT, and with the spring S', which depends from the pin or fastening s andeX tends a little below the upper ends of T T. The pin I), to which thespring K, terminating the wire track R, is fastened, and which in turnis fastened to the yoke Y, passes through the bow of the yoke andthrough the oppositelyrplaced slots T T, resting on the spring S, andprojects just beyond the circumference of the tube A and between thearms Y Y2. (See Fig. 3.)

The car or carrier B is composed of two corresponding plates placedopposite one another and solidly joined at l), b', and b2, and thewheels V V, adapted to revolve between the two plates pivoted theretoand grooved to lit the wire track R. At b3 b3 there are openings betweensaid plates on a line with the grooves in the wheels V V, through whichthe wire track R. and spring K pass, serving thereby to steady thecarrier and car when in transit. The receptacle O depends from thecarrier B by the arms c c, of which there IOO `in the slotted guides T.T.

are four, two on either side of B, and running to opposite sides of O.

In operating my apparatus it should be borne in mind that each dependenttube with its appurtenances constitutes a station. In order to transmitthe carrier B and its dependent receptacle C from one station, thehandle e2 of the line E is drawn in the direction indicated by arrow 2.This causes the yoke Y and the attached pin P, carrying the spring K andWire R, to move vertically in the direction of arrow 1, the saidpinmoving This movement continues until the pin P has reached, iirst,the spring S and then, compressing that, the top of the slots, and isarrested by the solid tube. The line E is provided with a button e, soadjusted with reference to its position on the line that when the pin P.reaches the top of the slots e shall be' just below D. Then, if it isdesired to retain the yoke and its att-achments in the elevatedposition, the line E is slipped into the claw d2, and the button e',resting against the bottom of D, holds it stationary. The position thusattained is shown by the dotted lines in Fig. l. The act of raising theyoke and attached wire track R has disengaged the carrier at bfrom thecatch d', and the carrier and car are at once free to move along R withthe impetus which their weight and the inclination of the Wire trackgive to them. The spring K allows for the increased tension of R inmoving to theposition indicated by the dotted lines. lAs has been said,slipping the line E into the claw d2 and the button e under D holds theyoke and Wire lin their elevated position. If it is desired to returnthem to their normal position, (indicated b`y the continuous blacklines, Fig. 1,) a slight additional pull of e2 in the direction of arrow2 enables e to be released, and at the same time compresses S to anextent that when the hold on the handle is loosened the recoil of S andthe weight of Y and its accompanying parts send the yoke, pin, andattached wire back to the bottom of the slots, Where the pin P firststrikes upon S, which acts as a cushion or buffer. The carrier and carmoving on the inclined wire in the direction indicated by arrow 3 reachthe other station, constructed precisely as the station they have justlett, where the end b of the carrier is caught andA retained by thecatch d', formed at the end of the shoe D. To return the carrier and carto the first station the same movements are made use of vas have alreadybeen described, giving a position and incline' indicated by the dottedand broken line R2.

I am aware that tracks have been heretofore constructed in which eitherend can be raised by vertically-movable end supports, so as to form anincline; hence I do not claim, broadly, a track adapted to be somanipulated.

Having thus described my invention, what I seek to secure by LettersPatent is- 1. In a store-service apparatus, the combination of thevertically depending tube formed with oppositely arranged verticalguide-slots, a sliding yoke arranged on the tube, friction-rollersjournaled in the yoke to bear on the face of the tube, atrack-supporting pin arranged in the sliding yoke and through the slotsof the tube, and mechanism for lifting the sliding yoke andtrack-supporting pin,.substantia11y as described.

2. In a store-servicel apparatus, the combination of avertically-depending tube formed with oppositely-arran ged verticalslots, a sliding yoke arranged on the tube, provided withfriction-wheels to bear against the face of the tube, a track supportingpin extending through the sliding yoke and through the slots of thetube, mechanism to lift the sliding yoke and track-support, and elasticcushions interiorly arranged in the top and bottom ofthe tube to contactthe track-supporting pin, substantially as and for the purpose speciied.

3. In a store-service apparatus, the combination of thevertically-depending tube havthrough the slots of the tube, a wiretrack,

and an extensible spring-connection supporting the end of the track andfixed to the end of the track-holding pin, substantially as and for thepurpose specified.

4. In a storte-Service apparatus, av dependent oppositely-slotted tube,such as described, combined with avertically-movable yoke and amechanism for producing such movements, and provided with they shoe D,formed with theY catch d and the claw d2, as hereinbefore described andset forth.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand this 14th day of May, inthe year of our Lord 1889.

. THOMAS WILSON, JR.

In presence of- J AMES HACKETT, JOHN F. CANNY.

IOO

